Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2012 R2 will be released within the next months and can already be previewed . I thought it was time for me to do a general review of this product based on my experience. Please note that this is only my perspective...

In large System Center Configuration Manager estates, you may encounter issues such as having to update various applications, as well as packages. For whatever reason, you will eventually need to look into these things. One long administrative task you...

As GeoFlow makes use of PowerPivot, it opens up the ability to use data from a wide variety of sources, including SQL Server and Tabular Model. This allows GeoFlow to access large data set stored in SQL Server as illustrated in this article.

Want to learn more about Windows Server Hyper-V Virtual Machine Storage? Check out this piece by Aidan Finn: http://www.petri.co.il/hyper-v-virtual-machine-storage.htm . The piece provides an in-depth overview of what an organization needs to consider...

If you've been following my series of blog posts, you know I've been walking through alternative ways to deploy an OS. (If you haven't been following my series, here are links to the first two posts: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/customer_reviews_of_stb_products...

To maintain a high level of security in our law firm, we needed a two-factor authentication solution for users. We looked around at different options, and finally settled on PhoneFactor. The three persuading points were ease of use to set up and manage...

Want to learn more about the new file server features in Windows Server 2012? Check out this blog post by James van den Berg: https://mountainss.wordpress.com/2013/05/01/high-performance-highly-available-file-share-storage-for-server-applications-smb...

NOTE: I'd like to thank Dujon Walsham for writing this series of blogs. Please let me know if they are useful, and submit your own! Thank you! Karen Forster
This is part 2 of my blog, "OS Deployment: System Center Configuration Manager 2012, or...

Want to learn how to use Windows Azure Virtual Network to create secure site-to-site connectivity and protect your private virtual networks in the cloud? Check out this blog post by James van den Berg for an overview on how to make your virtual networks...

I wanted to write this article in order to establish the differences with two Microsoft deployment technologies, System Center Configuration Manager 2012 (SCCM) and Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT), and provide scenarios of what they can do and cannot...

After the upgrade to SP1 and installation of the SCOM agent on your Service Manager Data Warehouse and Management servers, you will note several Warning events in the Operations Manager event log. These event IDs are logged as 10102. The cause of these...

After completing the upgrade of SP1 in my System Center lab, I found that there were some issues in the event log that concerned me. The first one I focused on was the inability for the agent to determine the agent version number for reporting back to...

Near the end of January I was performing an upgrade to my demo lab for System Center 2012 to SP1 so that I could perform a demo for a client wishing to see Service Manager SP1. Of course, another benefit is that it helps ensure the process works so I...

Want to learn more about the networking enhancements in System Center 2012 SP1? Check out this blog post from Thomas Maurer for an overview of new networking capabilities and how these features can benefit you.

Interested in learning more about how you can use Windows Intune to manage mobile devices? Check out Windows Server administrator and Microsoft MVP Dubravko Marak’s “Windows Intune Survival Guide.” Part 1 ( What is Windows Intune? )...

Julie Koesmarno, who recently covered the benefits of using Power View in Excel 2013 on the STB Customer Reviews Page, stopped by TechNet Radio to discuss tips and tricks for how you can use Power View for self-service business intelligence.

As a Group Policy MVP, I am often asked about Microsoft's Advanced Group Policy Management software, or AGPM for short. AGPM is a "change management" system around Group Policy Objects (GPOs) themselves. It enables teams of administrators to avoid stepping...

Windows Azure is Microsoft's cloud platform, and it give you great flexibility for developing, deploying, and managing applications. Many of Windows Azure's capabilities are not as well known as those of other Microsoft products, and Matt Hester gives...

If you're a one man (or woman) team, as I can be from time to time, Power View in Excel 2013 enables great data exploration and analysis on geographical data as much as those with mature infrastructure.

I am extremely excited that Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8 have launched because I can talk about and tinker with my absolute favorite feature of both operating systems, Storage Spaces. Some people I know in the storage community have said that the...

Windows Server 2012 is certainly an interesting OS. Yes many of the Windows Server 2008 R2 items are still in there, Administrative Tools and the Control Panel items, but they are certainly not the stars of the show. Windows Server has focused on a tool...

The new interface in windows Server 2012 gives you lots of options for navigating. Jeff James has found that some keyboard shortcuts help save you time and give you flexibility.
You can read Jeff's article here: http://www.petri.co.il/keyboard-shortcuts...

One of the first IT pros who wrote a review for this blog, Mike Dragone, is now a star on TechNet Radio. You can listen to the interview with Mike here:
TechNet Radio STB News Bytes Real Customer Reviews Taking a Look at Windows Server 2012
Tommy...

Some of you that know me (through my www.gpoguy.com and www.sdmsoftware.com sites) know that I spend an inordinate amount of time exploring, developing against and helping customers with Group Policy. So I was anxious to see what changes Microsoft made...

System Center 2012 SP1 includes a lot of functionality beyond the traditional service pack updates. SP1 is what really lights up a lot of the private cloud functionality in Windows Server 2012. Reviewing all the features and capabilities in System Center...